Making Your Travel Easier

Comparing Cruise Suites: What Matters for A Great Experience

Cabin preferences are as diverse as the people who occupy them. Fortunately, today’s cruise ships have enough variety to please everyone. Our team of cruise specialists and guests, have done the research, crawled under fluffy down comforters and spent blissful hours on their balconies to help create this guide.

Find out what you can expect on different cruise lines and what our guests say truly matters regarding location and balconies.

Beyond the Facts

Here’s what frequent Holland America Line cruisers have to say about selecting a suite that fits their needs.

Rod and Diana Longenberger know exactly where they want to be on any ship. Their location of choice is aft of the last elevators on one of the lower passenger decks. It’s a very quiet place and convenient to the dining rooms.

They like a window but don’t feel they need a balcony. They actually have a specific cabin they ask for which we cannot reveal in case it gets too popular and is not available for them when they want it.After 29 cruises, Chuck and Jayne Collinge have experienced many different cabins types. They love lanai cabins when available because they’re so convenient to the outside decks. But since that’s not an option on most ships, they make a thoughtful choice of cabins based on the following criteria:

toward the front

quiet spot, so not above the showroom or near elevators

convenient to the dining rooms

front to back position is important

top to bottom position is not, they’d be happy on deck 6 or deck 10

Pat and Jim Wilcox love their Neptune Suite. After an unpleasant experience in a cramped and noisy cabin on their first cruise, they decided they would give themselves the gift of luxury and have been booking suites ever since.

They love the open feeling of the cabin and the large size of the balcony which they use every day. The specific location of the suite is not important, as they are not bothered by the movement of the ocean. A favorite perk is the use of the Neptune Lounge and the services of the Concierge to help them with shore arrangements, dinner reservations and anything else that comes up.

Wendy and Steve Bodenheimer, Voyage Hosts, have come to love inside cabins. Since their days as dance instructors when they could be assigned anywhere on the ship including crew quarters, they always choose inside.

They like the absolute darkness, which makes for a wonderful night’s sleep. No problem watching the bridge cam or going out to the promenade deck to see what’s going on outdoors. It’s also quiet, without some of the noises from the outside decks. Their other important preference is for a middle of the ship location on one of the lower passenger decks to minimize the motion of the ocean.

Not sure which suite will best suit you? Our cruise experts know them all and can help you find the perfect one on any voyage.